Pulley structure for belt-type liquid elevators



J. C. REED Dec. 25, 1945.

PULLEY STRUCTURE FOR BELT-TYPE LIQUID ELEVATORS Filed March 21, 1945 Patented Dec. 25, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PULLEY STRUCTURE FOR BELT-TYPE; F LIQUID,ELEVATORSTL Jesse C. Reed, Dayton, Ohio;

Application March 21, 1945, Serial N0."584,018i;ii

This invention: relates to-liquid-elevating appa 5 Claims.

ratus, having particular reference to thattype of such' apparatus in which an endless belt is dis-. posed for operation in a well here or shaft, and:

wherein the upper portion of the belt is passed around a motor-actuated driving pulley. arranged in a casingiabove the well bore or shaft, and, wherein. the'lower part of the belt passes around.

enabling a maximum amountof the surface area:

of the belt to be presented for contact with the liquid to be elevated. Usually, the lower pulley or rollhasbeen formed to present a smooth unbrokencylindrical body for engagement with the inner surface of the associated belt. -As the belt passes around such a smooth surface, liquid is largely removed from between the same, which correspondingly diminishes the liquid carrying capacity of the belt. Also, it has been customary to form the upper pulley or belt with smooth body surfaces which function to diminish the amount of liquid discharged from the apparatus.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide belt wheels or pulleys for a belt-type liquid lifting apparatus having beltengaging surfaces formed with channels or grooves, whereby to reduce their belt-contacting surface area and improving the eificiency of such.

apparatus in its liquid-lifting and discharging capacities.

It is anotherobject of the invention to provide in such apparatus a submergible belt wheel or pulleyv adapted to be disposed in the body of liquid to be elevated and wherein the belt-engagfrom the'middle of the wheel or 'pulleylto its outer:

vertical end surfaces, whereby 'to provide for the drainage of liquid from -the' innersurfaces of thebeltandthe delivering of such drained liquid to the outlet of'the apparatus, so that but a minimum-of the liquid elevated by the belt, and ad- 7 hering'to its inner surfaces will, without'useful purpose, drain back into the well opening or shaft.

In certain respects, this invention constitutes a continuation-impart of that disclosed in my prior copending application, Serial No. 555,009,"

filed September 20f1944;

For a further understanding of the invention, including additional "objects and, advantages thereof, reference is to be had to the following description and l the accompanying drawing,

wherein: r

Fig. 1 is 'aavertical sectional view, partly in side elevation, of liquid-elevating apparatus formed in accordance with the present invention;

Figiz is a'horizontal sectional view on the plane indicated by the line 22 of Fig. 1 and illustrating in top plan the construction of the upper belt wheel or pulleyji A Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken through the .upper'belt wheel or'pulley on the planeindicated by the line"3'3 of Fig.1;

Fig.4" is a'detail perspective view of the upper belt wheel 'or. pulley i Fig. 5 is" a vertical transverse sectional View taken thro-ughrthe lowerliquid-submerged belt wheel or pulley and disclosing its grooved belt engaging construction.v

Referring'by numeralsrto the accompanying drawing, whichillustrates a practical embodiment of myinventiony the humeral Ii] designates the bore of a'subterranean well or shaft, the latter containingrin thexbottom thereof a column or body of liquid to be elevated. At the ground level, around the .bore. or shaft, there is provided a cas- The latter em ing structure, indicated at H. bodies-a verticallydisposed hollow pedestal I2 whichsupports at theupper'end thereof a discharge head. 13 having-a liquid outlet spout I l. The open top of the head 'l3 is normally closed by a hinged lid or cover i5, which may be held in itspositionof closure-by the threaded means indicated at It. The side walls'of the head section|3 of the casing are formed with bearings ll forthe .rotatablereception of an operating shaft 18, the-latter being driven by a motion-transmitting device !9 operatively associated with a motor or the like, shown at 20. Within the head section of the casing, there is formed on opposite sides thereof a trough 2| which leads to the spout l4.

Fixed for rotation on the shaft l8 and arranged within the head section I3 is the upper driving pulley 23, the latter having flanged sides 24. The outer peripheral surface of the pulley between the sides 24 is provided with longitudinally extending channels or grooves 25 which are inclined from the middle of th pulley toward the shaft I8 and at their outer ends terminate in circular openings arranged concentrically around the vertical sides of the pulley, the openings being formed in part in the flanges 24.

Passing over the upper part of the pulley 23 is the upper portion of a flexible endless carrier 26 which may be in the form of a belt of rubberized material. This belt is adapted to be disposed vertically in the well bore or shaft and the lower run of the belt, which is submerged in the water or other liquid contained in the bottom of the well bore is trained over a weighted bot- 'tom pulley 21.

The shaft 28 of the pulley 21 is journaled in a yoke 29 from which is pivotally suspended as at 30 a series of weights 3|, which are used in maintaining the belt 26 under a required amount of tension. The weights 3 I, as set forth in my aforesaid application may be guided for vertical movement in frame bars 32 depending rigidly from the casing structure H.

The distinctive feature of the lower .pulley 21 is to be found in the fact that this belt engaging periphery is formed with a plurality of longitudinally spaced annular grooves 33 instead of being plane, smooth and uninterrupted. These grooves provide ribs at each side thereof which have limited surface contact with the belt. Thus, as the latter passes around the pulley 21, liquid adhering to the inner surfaces of the belt is retained on the latter to a very large degree so that it is unnecessary to rely merely on the upward travel of the belt, after it passes around the lower pulley to collect the liquid to be elevated.

The construction of the pulley 21 thus insures the adherence of as much liquid on the inner and outer surfaces of the belt as it is possible for the latter to carry without burdening the belt with buckets. The belt, it will be understood, is adapted to operate at high speeds with the use of a comparatively light or low horse power motor, hence the provision of buckets on the belt would defeat the essential working principle of the apparatus. While but films of liquid are present on the upwardly moving roll of the belt, nevertheless the rate of linear advance of the latter is rapid so that a comparatively large amount, 'of liquid is elevated in a given period of time. Thus with the use of a light low horse power motor, the apparatus is enabled to elevate volumes of liquid which, with the use of ordinary pumps and other elevating equipment would require the employment of motors of much greater horse power than those utilized with the present apparatus.

As the belt travels around the upper wheel or pulley 23, the water which adheres to the under or inner surface of the belt is caught in the grooves or channels and gravitationally conveyed to the sides of the element 23, when the water or other liquid is deposited in the trough 2|, together with that discharged from the outer surfaces of the belt, and delivered to the outlet spout l4.

Through this construction, there is but a minimum loss of the liquid elevated by the belt as the latter passes around the driving pulley so that the outflow volume is maintained at a high peak and drain back of .the liquid into the .well bore is minimized.

While I have described what I consider to be a preferred embodiment of my invention, nevertheless, it will be understood that the same is subject to certain variation or modification without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. Belt-type liquid-elevating apparatus comprising a casing having a liquid outlet, a beltreceiving and driving pulley rotatably mounted in said casing contiguous to said outlet, said pulley having its annular belt-contacting surfaces formed with spaced longitudinally extending liquid-receiving grooves, the latter opening to the sides of the pulley, an endless liquid-elevating and discharging belt passing around said pulley and depending therefrom into a body of liquid to be elevated, and troughs formed with the side Walls of said casing below said pulley for receiving liquid discharged from said grooves and conducting the same to said outlet.

2. A pulley for belt-type liquid-elevating ap-, paratus comprising a substantially cylindrical shaft-mounted body having annular belt-guiding flanges formed at the ends thereof, the outer circumference of said body being formed with open grooves for the reception of liquid confined between the inner surfaces of the associated liquid-elevating belt and the pulley body, the

outer ends of said grooves opening to the sides of the pulley body within the confines of said flanges, whereby to effect discharge of liquid from said grooves through openings formed at the sides of said body.

3. A pulley for belt-type liquid elevating apparatus, comprising a substantially cylindrical shaft-mounted body having annular belt-guiding flanges formed at the ends thereof, the outer circumferential portion of said body between said flanges being formed with a plurality of annularly spaced and longitudinally extending liquid-receiving grooves which terminate at the sides of the pulley.

4. A pulley for liquid-elevating apparatus comprising a substantially cylindrical body having annular belt-guiding flanges at the ends thereof, the belt-engaging surfaces of said body between said flanges being formed with a plurality of liquid-conducting grooves leading to the opposite sides of the pulley.

5. A pulley for belt-type liquid-elevating apparatus comprising a substantially cylindrical body having annular flanges formed at the ends thereof defining an annular belt-confining recess, the annular walls of said recess between said flanges being reversely inclined from approximately the center of the pulley body, and the said reversely inclined walls being formed with annularly spaced longitudinally extending water-conducting grooves which open to the opposite sides of the pulley body within the confines of said flanges, said grooves possessing an inclination corresponding to that of the bottom walls of said recess.

JESSE C. REED. 

